The following is an article written by Rex Nelson. It originally appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will hold grand open- ing ceremonies next month for its Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in the emerging East Village neighborhood of Little Rock. The $11.75 million facility is ASO’s first permanent home in its 59-year history.
Ground was broken on the center in August 2023 following a lengthy fundraising effort. ASO performances still will be held at the Robinson Center downtown (which underwent its own $70 million renovation before reopening in late 2016), but the new 20,000-square-foot facility will host smaller performances, music education classes and more as home of the Lee Ronnel Music Academy and Morgan Hall.
East Village has taken off in recent years, with Cromwell Architects Engineers moving its headquarters to a renovated building now known as The Paint Factory. Sterling Market serves food inside The Paint Factory. There was also the expansion of eStem Public Charter Schools into the neighborhood. Businesses such as Lost Forty Brewing and Camp Taco made East Village hip.
The building on East Sixth Street that houses The Paint Factory was constructed in 1947. But there’s also new construction. A prime example is Southern Tail Brewing, the dream of Brent and Tracy Cryder. The brewery and restaurant will be pet-friendly, thus the name Southern Tail.
“We’ve been on this journey since 2019,” Tracy told me as we toured the building. “That’s how long we’ve been talking about it. We liked the feel of this neighborhood. The fact that there already are breweries in the area is a plus for us.”
The 11,000-square-foot facility will seat more than 150 people inside. There also will be extensive outside seating. Though the project was delayed by the pandemic, Tracy said it gave them time to reflect on how best to create a place for people to gather with their pets. Both owners have corporate backgrounds, but Brent became involved in home brewing and also was on the competition barbecue circuit.
“We started winning awards, and it just became a passion of mine,” he said. “When I get involved in something, I dive in deeply. The thing about brewing is that there’s an infinite number of levels of creativity. When you go from home brewing to commercial brewing, though, you have to think about things from a different perspective. We haven’t gotten in a hurry because I wanted to make sure what we did was right.”
The couple’s property on East Ninth Street previously was home to a car wash and detailing facility. Brent says the couple loves Arkansas, people and dogs and wants to serve all three. A portion of the proceeds from Southern Tail will go to support animal charities.
